June 8, 2009
I may be a reporter but I do love crunching some numbers every now and then. I know. It’s weird. But when you’re talking about the Orioles’ abysmal attendance so far this season, looking beyond the surface numbers has it’s advantage.
Let’s start with the bad news: through 29 games, attendance at Camden Yards is down 19 percent. That’s not just a dip, that’s a flat-out drop. That’s one person out of every five who came last year bowing out.
Attendance has fallen short of 11,000 (that’s less than 25 percent capacity) four times this year, including a Camden Yards, all-time low of 10,130 on May 26 against Toronto. Last year, the park missed the 11,000 mark twice the whole season (both times in April).
OK, time for the good news: the summer weather is upon us, the kids are out of school and it’s tourism season. All three of those factors will help with attendance, especially from casual fans.
Secondly, two words: Matt Wieters. His debut on Friday, May 29....
Click here to access full post from "On the Record."